People without any ‘power’ find it difficult to get things
changed which leaves them with two alternatives.
The first is to seize power at its source, with the initial
and subsequent problems associated with a revolution, and the second is to
influence the power brokers in such a way that they are faced with no
alternative but to accept the changes that are demanded. This second is of
course the whole reason for the Trades Union movement coming into being.
THA has always been very clear that our aim is to lawfully persuade
the decision makers to accept our demands and enact them. So, protests that don’t
influence or get to the source of ‘power’ will never make much headway.
Sovereignty now
resides with parliament, having demanded it for the monarch, and so it is to
the MPs at Westminster that we must bring pressure to bear if we are ever to
achieve the radical reforms to our parliamentary system that are so necessary and that we desire.
THA has no wish to actually govern but simply wants, when necessary, to influence the
decision-making process. We believe that political rule is a precondition for a
just and stable democracy and we have no wish to throw the baby out with the
bath water.
We support he FPTP electoral system as the best and least corrupting
of any electoral process and we still favour constituency MPs but less of them.
So, in terms of the baby in the bath our prescription is to change the water as
laid out with our six demands.
That our system needs reform is shown on a daily basis as
increasingly the current system protects its own and proves it is stacked
against, not only, the individual but also the thus far silent majority.
Why do you have a preference re electoral systems? If it matters who represents us, how is it just if one has to vote for someone one does not want in order not to split the vote against someone worse? While you have a preference, you cannot reasonably refuse to debate which is the best system - FPTP, AV, STV, Condorcet etc. You might rather say that changing to a better system is not a priority.
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ReplyDeletePerhaps it would have been more accurate to have said 'I' rather than 'we' support FPTP. I do this because I happen to believe it is the best system to prevent coalition deals behind closed doors after the election has taken place as you get with PR. Also the actual system, of how we elect our MPs, is a bit of a red herring that, if overly focused on, distracts from the major aim of reforming our governance in accordance with our six demands.
ReplyDeleteOnce the people are sovereign if they don't want FPTP then so be it.